A skimpy bank balance at the Democratic National Committee has some party members nervously questioning Chairman Howard Dean's fundraising and management skills as they prepare for midterm elections this year. (((SNIP))) Mr. Dean, the former Vermont governor who for a time was the front-runner for his party's 2004 presidential nomination, won the chairmanship last year by promising to plow more of the party's resources into state campaign committees, particularly in red states that lean Republican, to help expand the party's base and strengthen its political firepower. (((SNIP)))